The present invention relates to a heat exchange apparatus, and particularly to a cooling apparatus for cooling gases from coke plants.
More particularly, the present invention is directed to such an apparatus including a substantially quadrangular, vertically extending housing having cooling tubes extending transversely thereof. The cooling tubes are arranged throughout the entire height of the housing and are traversed by a cooling agent. A flow of gas from a coke plant passes outwardly of the tubes in a longitudinal direction through the housing, whereby the gas is cooled.
Heat exchangers of the above type are known, whereby the housing is formed by a pair of spaced side walls and a pair of spaced tube plates or end walls which are joined at opposite ends thereof to the side walls. The side walls and tube plates extend throughout the entire height of the housing. Tubes extend across the interior of the housing and extend through the tube plates to the exterior of the housing. The tubes are arranged in vertically spaced groups, and on the outer sides of the tube plates are attached dome-shaped chambers in the form of detachable covers which operate to guide the cooling fluid from the ends of the tubes of one group to the adjacent ends of the tubes of an adjacent group.
Cooling apparatuses of this type often have a total height of more than twenty meters, and the horizontal cross-section of the interior of the housing may be substantial, for example up to twelve square meters or more. Furthermore, in cooling apparatuses of this type, as much as approximately twenty-five kilometers of tubing are employed as the cooling tubes. Therefore, the total weight of the cooling apparatus is so great that, in order to reduce the weight of the apparatus as much as possible during transportation thereof, the cooling tubes are assembled into the cooling apparatus only at the place or location of intended use of the apparatus. This however requires a very expensive scaffolding system at the place of use, due to the great height of the apparatus, for assembling of the tubes to the following apparatus. Such scaffolding apparatus is of course also necessary when it becomes necessary to replace or repair any of the tubes.
Additionally, due to the great weight and considerable length of the cooling apparatus, there occur considerable difficulties in transporting the entire cooler.